| dc.description |
Increasing population and land use decisions have had a negative effect on the aquatic
ecosystems in the Willamette River Basin. One result is elevated temperatures in many of the Basin’s streams, which adversely affect the fish that live in these streams. There are several regulatory mechanisms in place to improve water quality; however, recent attention has been focused on market-based pollution credit trading systems as an alternative approach. Clean Water Services, the public water utility in the Tualatin Watershed near Portland recently began the first program in the country to trade temperature pollution credits for creating shade. This project explores the distribution of high and low shade credit potential in the landscape around the confluence of the Willamette and McKenzie Rivers using the peer reviewed WET_Temp stream temperature model. The intent of this project is to provide a tool for land use planners to explore the geographic characteristics of high incentive areas (high shade potential) and target these areas with shade credit programs. Also, this project explores the effects of management
decisions on the changing shade credit incentive landscape. |
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